A kiss is more than just a kiss
by KrazyKakes
Summary: Lucas kisses Maya in an attempt to make Josh jealous but realizes he has feelings for her
1. Just a Kiss'

**A Kiss is more than just a kiss**

"Are you sure this is a good idea Maya?"

"Relax huckleberry it's just a kiss, even Riley said she doesn't mind I mean it's not like it means anything right?"

"Right…"

"So we just wait until Josh arrives with uggh Melissa…" she pulled a face "you give me a quick kiss and Josh will asking me out in no time"

"That's quite a plan you've got there"

"What can I say, it's a gift."

Lucas had to wonder what she saw in Josh, the guy was a jerk, he was constantly dismissing Maya – one of the most smart, beautiful, funny girls he'd ever met and he somehow had the ability to turn her into a nervous wreck – how'd he do that? Not to mention the age gap… surely it was not normal for a 14 year old girl to be crushing on her best friend's uncle – he was practically an adult, shouldn't he know better than to lead her on? Maya would be much better off with someone her own age, someone who cared for her, who'd look out for her…someone like him?

"Hey huckleberry – they're here!" she elbowed him in the ribs

"Ow Maya that really hur-"

She cut him off with her lips wrapping her arms around his neck, she'd caught him by surprise but soon he melted into the kiss as if it was the most natural thing in the world – nothing like kissing Riley – Lucas lost himself in the sensation of kissing her, her lips soft against his, he pulled her closer – he'd never felt this way before… this was in no way 'just a kiss'.

"Maya?"

"Josh…"

"You two are dating?"

"Yes we are, is there a problem?" Lucas asked as he put his arm around her, suddenly protective

"No, no problem..." he answered, a hint of hurt in his voice

"Well then you'd better get back to your date" he said glancing at the tall brunette Josh had brought with him

"Right well… you guys enjoy the rest of your evening." And with that the couple left to sit in a booth in the corner.

"I should probably be leaving.." Maya said, a cloud of guilt suddenly drifting over her – she'd just kissed her best friends boyfriend and she'd enjoyed it a little too much, she no longer cared about Josh and Melissa – as far as she was concerned she could have him.

"Ok…see you"

"See you..." she called behind her, a little flushed

Had he made Maya Hart blush?


	2. Sleepless Nights

**To: Maya**

 **From: Riley**

 **Hey peaches – my dad got a call from your mom saying she's out of town for an audition – wanna sleepover? Xx**

 **To: Maya**

 **From: Riley**

 **Hello..? Peaches where are you?**

 **To: Maya**

 **From: Riley**

 **Ok I guess you must be sleeping – call me tomorrow ok? xx**

Oh crap. It was Riley – poor sweet, naive Riley, oblivious to the fact that she'd been too busy locking lips with her boyfriend (and enjoying it too) to reply to her messages. There was no way she could spend the night at Riley's knowing what she'd done – she just needed to go home, go to sleep and forget about the whole thing. Maybe when she woke up her heart would no longer be fluttering and her cheeks would no longer be the colour of a tomato. In fact she was probably just tired – there was no way she could have feelings for Lucas Huckleberry Friar – he wasn't her type – he was Riley's. He was a total goody goody cowboy mommas boy.

She closed her eyes. That's it Maya, go to sleep, forget about the whole thing, you don't like Lucas – not really. Josh is the only guy for you. Think about his smile, remember when he drove up all the way from Philly to open his college acceptance letter from NYU? Remember how happy he was, smiling like crazy and hugging everyone? But what about Lucas' smile? That dumb goofy grin you see on his face every time he tips his imaginary hat? Dammit brain! Why'd you have to do that?! Ok just forget about both of them and go to sleep, clear your mind… how about counting sheep? That's supposed to help you sleep right? One sheep, two sheep, three shee… Lucas rode a sheep once. Dammit! It looked like this was gonna be a sleepless night.

Lucas looked at the time on his phone: 11:04. Not all that late really but his mother Lily Friar worried about him staying out after dark in the big city – it was nothing like Austin. If he didn't want his momma on his case about the dangers of New York he'd have to sneak in quietly. He tiptoed along the corridor, carefully opened the apartment door and shut it softly behind him, he took his shoes off by the door because he knew his mother hated when he got the carpet dirty and walked towards his bedroom… "SHIT!" he tripped on something in the hallway and fell to the floor. He'd forgotten his momma left the vacuum cleaner by his room (hoping he'd tidy it) "…Lucas? Is that you?" Lily Friar approached him in the hallway wearing her powder pink dressing gown, "Lucas honey, I was worried sick about you – you know how I hate you staying out late… you could have been mugged!"

"Sorry momma, I lost track of time"

"Alright but you go to bed now honey"

"Night momma"

"Goodnight Lucas."

Lucas lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling; he couldn't sleep with a certain Maya Penelope Hart running through his brain. That kiss had been intoxicating and he couldn't forget it. Something about kissing her had just felt so right – so electric. He remembered Riley kissing him, her kiss was just a little peck, so sweet, so cute – just like Riley but he didn't feel anything. He thought of Maya's eyes, deep ocean blue – he was sure that if you stared into them for long enough you could drown in them. He thought of her hair, a golden waterfall like honey, he thought about how he'd love to run his fingers through it as she leant back on his desk and he inhaled her coconut scent. He was falling for her and he was falling HARD. He checked the time: 11:11 – time to make a wish. He thought of Maya Hart and wished that she could be his.


	3. The morning after

Maya woke up to the sound of her phone ringing - the cool smartphone Cory bought her... **RILEY'S** dad. What was it with and always trying to take everything from Riley?

 **Maya: Hello?**

 **Riley: Hi peaches**

 **Maya: Oh… hey Riles**

 **Riley: So did you see Josh last night?**

Right… Josh – the guy she was supposed to like.

 **Maya: Oh… uh yeah but I don't know if I'm gonna bother with him anymore I mean maybe he is just a bit too old for me – I think maybe Melissa's good for him. Anyway I probably shouldn't have got Lucas involved – he is YOUR boyfriend.**

God how could she have kissed her best friends boyfriend – what was wrong with her?

 **Riley: Oh it's ok peaches – I trust you and Lucas.**

That made it even worse – she trusted her! She didn't deserve her trust!

 **Maya: Yeah I guess… Lucas does love you.**

If only he liked her like that… wait what was she talking about? She didn't care about ranger rick! Lucas loved Riley and Riley loved him…

 **Riley: Anyway I was going to invite you over for the day – you know seeing as your mom's out of town – you can stay overnight too!**

 **Maya: Oh um… yeah ok.**

Riley couldn't help but notice Maya seemed kind of distant and hesitant to stay over… that wasn't like Maya – she practically lived with the Matthews!

 **Riley: So see you in like half an hour?**

 **Maya: Ok… see you!**

/

Lucas woke up with his heart beating fast – he'd had a great dream sure, but it was wrong. He'd dreamt about kissing Maya and holding her close to him – he'd felt like he never wanted to let her go but he should of dreamt of Riley, her sweet smile, her sparkling eyes – always full of hope, and her chocolate coloured hair. Riley loved him and he was supposed to love her so why was he dreaming of her best friend? Why was Maya Penelope Hart the only thing on his mind?

Because he loved her.

He thought about it, their jokes, her laugh, her arm resting on his desk, the way he felt when he made her smile and the way his heart hurt that one time he saw her cry. There are many different ways of saying I love you and maybe they'd been saying it all along.

 _Hey Ranger Rick_

 _Hey other one_

He couldn't lie to Riley anymore, he couldn't pretend to love her anymore – he was done with this façade – his heart belonged to someone else. He didn't want to hurt her but he had to break up with her – it wasn't fair on Riley to stay with her when he didn't love her – she deserved someone who felt the same way.

/

Maya climbed through Riley's window.

"Hey Riles"

"Peaches!"

"Sorry I'm kinda late – I missed the subway"

"Oh that's ok, anyway I was thinking we could watch a movie – mom got popcorn!"

Oh great… Riley always ended up eating too much popcorn, getting hyper then swearing she'd never eat popcorn again. Turned out never didn't last very long for Riley.

"Ok well let's find something to watch then..."

Just then Riley's phone went off.

 **From: Lucas**

 **To: Riley**

 **Hey Riley I really need to talk to you – mind if I come over?**

"Oh great Lucas is coming over he can watch the movie with us"

Shit. "Well y'know Riles you two are boyfriend and girlfriend so you'll probably want your own space – Lucas probably thinks it's like a date or something so maybe I should be going..."

"Nonsense Maya – the more the merrier!"

"No really – I think I should be going, I just remembered I have this art assignment due tomorrow so I better leave"

/

As Maya entered the subway station she noticed someone else leaving…Lucas. Ok keep your head down avoid eye contact…you're pretty short – maybe if you duck down he won't see you… But Maya was not one to blend into the crowd.

"Hey Maya!"

Ignore him… keep walking – you heard nothing!

"Maya I need to talk to you – it's important!"

Maya turned around. Dammit now he knows you saw him!

"I gotta run ranger rick – talk to Riley!"

And with that she ran into the crowd.

Lucas couldn't help but wonder if he'd imagined her blush?


	4. Heartbreak

**Hi everyone sorry I haven't updated in a while, I was on holiday so I didn't have a chance to but now I'm back so I should be updating more regularly (I'm gonna try to update once a week at least)**

Yay. Lucas was coming over! And Cory was at a teachers meeting which meant Riley and Lucas were free to watch a movie in peace – normally Cory would be constantly monitoring them to make sure there was no handholding or kissing on his couch.

BUZZZ

"Hi it's Lucas…"

"Come on up!"

Riley bounded over to the door "Hi Lucas – So I was thinking we could watch a movie like maybe The Longest Ride or A Cinderella Story or –"

Lucas wasn't smiling.

"You don't wanna watch a chick flick…?"

"That's not the problem Riley…" Although frankly he couldn't stand chick flicks, they were all the same – he only ever tolerated them for Riley.

"Then what's the problem Lucas? You can tell me anything"

Ugggh now she was being understanding! Why did she have to being so understanding? It made what he was about to say even harder

"Riley maybe should sit down and talk…"

"Bay window!"

"Huh?"

"Bay window right now!"

She pulled him to her room by his arm and sat him on the window seat, He couldn't help but notice the amount of floral printed cushions she had in her room – it was just so Riley!

"So Lucas…"

"So Riley…"

"Spill it!"

He wasn't quite sure where to start

"So the other night I took Maya out for dinner… She wanted to make Josh jealous"

"I know that."

" But she didn't make Josh jealous, she –"

"Wait is this what it's about? Is Maya upset about Josh, because she did seem a bit off earlier –"

Maybe that's because she practically ate my face last night… nah better choose your words wisely

"Let me finish Riley… She didn't make Josh jealous… She made me jealous."

Riley looked confused. He used to find it cute when she was confused, she was just so clueless and innocent but now he hated it because he knew what he was going to say was going to hurt her, no matter how carefully he said it - it was inevitable.

"She made me jealous of Josh… because of the way she feels about him, and the way she smiles at him, and maybe I wish that the girl who makes me laugh and smile and looks at me like she's staring into my soul and whose kisses feel like electricity isn't mine…because until last night I didn't realise that maybe, just maybe I love her and I've loved her since the first time I saw her…"

He stopped to look at Riley, she no longer looked confused… just hurt.

"Riley I'm sorry, I –"

"I think you should go." She said trying to sound cold but her voice wavered slightly, he could see tears in her eyes. Her face looked like that of a wounded puppy.

Topanga walked in to see what they were doing in Riley's room for so long, she may not be as overprotective as Cory but she still cared about her daughter, she too could be a suspicious parent.

"Riley? Are you ok?" She looked at Lucas inquisitively

"I'm sorry Mrs Matthews but I think I should leave"

And at that moment Topanga realised exactly what was going on, there was no pain like heartbreak.


	5. Maya's fault

"Riley dinner's ready!" called Topanga in a pathetic attempt to coax her out of her room

"Not hungry"

"But there's mashed potatoes!" exclaimed Cory, unaware of the real reason behind his daughters sudden hibernation.

Topanga was concerned about Riley as any mother would be – she remembered the time she and Cory had split up after he'd spent all night talking to Lauren (a girl he'd met in a ski lodge) then lied to Topanga about kissing her - she knew what heartbreak felt like, however after 15 years of marriage she also knew that telling Cory his daughter's heart had just been torn to shreds by the Friar boy would be a big mistake.

/

Riley sat hunched up on her bed a pile of used Kleenex' one side of her and packet filled with untouched candy the other. She was sad beyond comfort eating.

She thought back to the first time she'd met Lucas on the subway, he was so cute just sat there innocently reading his book when suddenly Riley fell onto his lap and his eyes widened with bewilderment, maybe because he'd just met the perfect girl for him, I mean she'd felt a real connection. Wait a minute…he didn't care about meeting Riley, she was just plain old Riley – a boring little daddy's girl who tagged along with Maya, now Maya was wild! Maya was interesting, she was exiting, she was fun… She was nothing like Riley, maybe the reason Lucas smiled like he'd just struck gold was not because he'd just met Riley… it was because of Maya. In fact now that she thought about it, it wasn't even Riley who spoke to him first, it was Maya! Maya saw him first, she even said it herself – he was cute! He probably wouldn't have even bothered with Riley if it wasn't for Maya…

/

Maya lay sprawled out on her bedroom floor focusing on the drawing in front of her, anything to take her mind off a certain Texan boy who she did NOT repeat NOT like.

How could she have even considered kissing her best friend's boyfriend to make another boy jealous – wasn't making childish, immature plans Riley's thing? It would never work anyway, Josh was too old for her and he was **Riley's** uncle. And now despite her desperate attempts at denial she knew that she kind of, sort of, maybe… liked Lucas.

Except she couldn't… he was taken, he was Riley's and she could never do that, she could never steal her best friend's boyfriend like that – that wasn't what best friends did! Maybe it was time she stopped dreaming about boys who were completely unobtainable.

She had to forget about it, move on and pretend like it never happened because if she didn't she would risk losing Riley and terminating her friendship with Lucas, I mean surely there was no way he felt the same. When they kissed she'd felt like they'd really connected but she must have been delusional.

He had Riley – he'd never be interested in a girl like her, he was just another thing she'd never have, like a stable home life, or a family.

She was going to go to Riley's, hang out, and act **completely** normal because that is what a best friend would do – in fact she was going to call her right now!

/

Riley continued to wallow in despair and question her entire relationship with Lucas when suddenly her thoughts were interrupted

 **Buzzz Buzzz**

Her phone was ringing, maybe it was Lucas calling to tell her it was a late and not very funny April fools? That he could never break up with her and he was sorry – he'd never do it again!

Nope. It was Maya, the person she least wanted to talk to right now. Usually Riley and Maya were inseparable, you could imagine that if Riley were ever to break up with anyone Maya would be there to comfort her but not this time. This time it was all Maya's fault…


	6. Revelations

It was the fifth time in a row Maya had called and Riley hadn't answered, what was she doing? Riley always answered her phone like… immediately – had she dropped her phone down the toilet again? I mean that was just typical Riley! If she wasn't going to answer her phone maybe she should just go to Riley's house – it wasn't a long journey on the subway.

/

Riley hid under her duvet trying to block out the sound of her phone ringing – she knew it was Maya calling but she just didn't want to talk to her right now, what was there to say? Her first boyfriend, the boy who she loved, who was completely perfect for her just dumped her for her best friend and it turned out their entire relationship was a sham because he had never loved Riley… It was always Maya – it would always be Maya. Anything Riley could do Maya could do better – Maya was prettier, more artistic, funnier, crazier, more exciting…

"Riley! Maya's here!"

Oh great.

Maya poked her head round the door "Hey Riles, you didn't answer your phone so I – Riley are you ok?"

Riley looked up at her effortlessly perfect best friend, it almost infuriated her that Maya was being nice and trying to comfort her – it would be a lot easier to hate her if she was a bitch.

She involuntarily hugged Maya tightly, her tears soaking Maya's t-shirt.

"It's ok peaches, what happened?"

"He – he, Lucas, he doesn't love me anymore – he never loved me." She sobbed

"Riley I don't understand – oh course he loves you."

"No he broke up with me – he told me he doesn't feel the same way…"

"WHAT?! That huckleberry doesn't know a good thing when he sees it!"

Riley almost smiled at the fact that Maya had just unknowingly insulted herself

"I swear to God that cowboy's gonna get what's coming to him!"

"Maya where are you going?"

"I'm off for a talk with Sheriff Shithead!" and with that she stormed out

/

Lucas should have known that hurting Riley would mean dealing with Maya, Maya was there for Riley through thick and thin – as far as she was concerned Riley was her family – if you hurt her family, you hurt her and if you hurt her she'd hurt you back.

Maya knocked on the door with enough force to bulldoze the Friar household

"Hank I swear! What do you think you're doing?!" called a thick southern accent which was revealed to be Mrs Friar when she opened the door

"Oh Maya sweetie it's you – y'know you got quite a knock there!" Lucas's mother smiled fondly at the girl the way one would at a close friend or family member

"Lucas is in his room but good luck talking to him, he's been in a funny mood ever since he got back from your friend's house."

Maya smiled back at her, she was about to kick cowboys ass but there was no need to take it out on his mother.

As she stormed into Lucas's room she decided to cut to the chase – there was no time for pleasantries.

"LUCAS!"

"Maya…?" he looked up from the book that he wasn't really reading - it was like he saw the words on the page but they wouldn't go into his brain.

He knew exactly what was coming next, there was a short blonde tornado headed in his direction.

"WHY DID YOU BREAK UP WITH RILEY?"

"Maya you can't just –"

"Why?" she asked more softly this time "how could you do that to her?"

As she spoke to him he could see the pain behind her eyes

"Because it wasn't fair"

"What wasn't fair?" she asked trying to figure him out

He patted the space on the bed next to him and surprisingly she sat down, she had originally come here to defend Riley but she had to hear his side of the story first, after all Lucas was her friend too…

What he was about to tell had the potential to ruin their friendship but he had to tell her at some point… he was in love with Maya Hart.


	7. Enter Farkle

"Come on huckleberry spit it out!"

"We went out on Friday because you wanted to make Josh jealous"

"I know… I was there?"

"And when we saw Josh you kissed me"

Her cheeks flushed slightly

"I kissed you back Maya, because something about it just felt right… it wasn't like kissing Riley"

"What are you trying to say here Lucas?"

"I'm trying to say that… Friday made me realise something, I care about Riley a lot but I don't love her and I will never love her the way she wants me to and that isn't fair. She deserves someone who feels the same way as her so I broke up with her, she deserves someone who loves her the same way I love… you"

Ok so now she was definitely blushing, "Are you fucking kidding me cowboy? You're telling me that the reason you left Riley was ME?!" she could feel tears stinging her eyes, God she was such an awful friend, the reason Riley was at home crying her eyes out was because couldn't keep her stupid boyfriend stealing hands off of Lucas

How could he have even put her in that position, how could he break Riley's heart and then make her feel guilty about it by telling her he loved her – Riley was her best friend and she was who Lucas belonged with – She was the one he was supposed to love.

"Maya please don't push me away, I know how much Riley means to you but we aren't together anymore – can't you see it isn't fair for me to stay with her when she's not the one I love?"

"Lucas… I think I should go" and with that she left quickly, half running, leaving behind the boy who loved her and she wasn't allowed to love back…

"Lucas honey are you ok?" asked Lily Friar entering from the living room, she'd heard Maya running out in a hurry and upon entering her sons room had seen him sitting there with hurt in his eyes knowing that he didn't stand a chance with Maya

"What happened?"

"I told her I loved her…" he said, his voice barely audible

Lily sighed.

Way to go big mouth…

/

Riley sat on the window seat in her room twirling her hair absentmindedly, whatever magical healing powers it seemed to possess they didn't appear to be working today.

Lucas loved Maya. Maya had gone to kick the shit out of him. Clearly they were no Romeo and Juliet but there was something there, and that she could deny. As much as she wanted to refuse any idea of Lucas and Maya having a connection she couldn't.

She appreciated Maya trying to comfort her – you know in her own Maya-ish way (going to beat Lucas up) but she knew that it wouldn't make any difference, Maya would never admit it but she had a soft spot for Lucas - despite all the playful teasing and nicknames she would never want to hurt Lucas and likewise he would never hurt her. Maya would never beat Lucas up and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't make Riley feel better because this time she was part of the problem. Topanga couldn't help because what did she know? She and Cory had a perfect relationship – he'd never fallen in love with her best friend. And telling Cory would be a BIG mistake, there were some things he just didn't understand. In fact there was only one other person she felt she could talk to about her problem…

There was a knock on her window…

"Lady…"

Farkle.


	8. Should've seen the Signs

Farkle Minkus was a great guy, sure he had his quirks but he was a good friend and Riley could always count on him to be there for her when she needed him… which was now. Despite the fact that he shamelessly flirted with her ALL THE TIME even when she had a boyfriend Farkle cared about her deeply and when he found his usually sunny best friend sat alone in the bay window with red puffy eyes it was clear that something was wrong.

Originally he had intended on inviting her over to the Minkus household for dinner as he sometimes did when both his parents were busy and he didn't want to dine alone (he didn't consider Brenda the maid to be company) but upon arriving at the Matthews he realised that something wasn't quite right.

"Riley are you ok"

She smiled weakly, it wasn't because she was happy in fact frankly she felt like shit but knowing that someone was there for her to talk to her and listen to her problem was reassuring.

"Lucas broke up with me" she said flatly, she had been processing that information all afternoon, constantly questioning and rethinking it on a loop, so much so that her voice lacked any distinct emotion but he could see in her eyes that she was not ok with it.

"But Lucas loves you – you guys are like… you're like –"

"Cory and Topanga?"

He nodded.

"guess there can only be one…"

" I still don't understand though Riles, did he say why?"

"Oh he said why alright" and it had felt like a slap in the face

Farkle looked at her waiting for an answer

"He loves Maya."

He wrapped his arms around her, it wasn't that he hadn't seen that one coming because he had, heck he'd even voted them cutest couple in eighth grade but how that must've felt for Riley well it must've been terrible, loving someone who didn't love you back hurt, a fact that he knew all too well…

"Riley… if he couldn't appreciate how great you are then he doesn't deserve you, and you don't deserve him – you deserve someone who's right for you and feels the same way. Maybe you two just weren't right for each other…?"

"I know but… he's the only guy I ever loved I can't imagine what it would be like to love another boy – it just feels wrong"

"It will do at first but eventually you'll get over it, you'll find the guy who's right for you and you'll wonder how anyone ever saw you and Lucas as a couple in the first place. I mean who knows, maybe you've already met your soulmate and you don't even know it?!"

And that's when Riley kissed him unexpectedly.

Farkle pulled away shocked, it wasn't that he didn't want to kiss her – he really did but it wasn't fair to take advantage of her emotional state.

"Riley what are you doing?"

"Who knows… but maybe I've met my soulmate."

"Riles, you're my best friend but you're not thinking straight – you just broke up with Lucas, you need time to get over that ok?"

"I know Farkle, I do but I also need support to get through it…"

"Well I'm right here… have you spoken to Maya?"

"uh huh – she said she's gonna kick Lucas's ass for breaking up with… she still doesn't know why."

"Are you gonna tell her?"

"Well she went to Lucas's house to 'jack him up' but we all know she'll never do it"

"I don't know… I don't think I'd mess with Maya"

"She has a soft spot for him though hasn't she?"

He nodded

"I should've seen the signs – they were all there"

"My guess is he's probably already told her, she stormed out furious and now she's at home beating herself up about it. She probably forced herself into solitary confinement and when we go back to school she won't speak to any of us"

"That predictable Farkle?"

"I am a genius after all."


	9. Cowboy's in a pickle

It was Monday morning and Maya had US history first period, after Lucas's confession and learning she was responsible for her best friend's traumatic break up she had gone to great lengths to ensure that she didn't bump into any of her friends in the corridor and arrived at Mr Matthews's lesson 10 minutes late.

"Ms Hart"

"Mr Matthews"

"You're 10 minutes late, do you have a note to explain your absence?"

"No sir…"

"Then I'm afraid that's an after school detention"

Maya slumped down in her seat, the detention was worth it if it meant she didn't have to talk to her usually close-knit group of friends.

Trying to concentrate on Mr Matthews talking about the civil war became increasingly difficult as she could feel Lucas's eyes like lasers on the back of her head – even sitting next to back-of-the-class Brenda would be better than this.

The second the bell rung she was out of there.

Lucas was just about to run after her when:

"Friar I need that paper you were supposed to give me last week do you have it with you?"

Lucas hesitated, he was supposed to give Mr Matthews a paper last week but when he'd said he forgot to bring it in Mr Matthews gave him a second chance because he was reasonable like that. Lucas did in fact have it in his bag however he knew that if he didn't give it in it would mean a detention and that was an opportunity he couldn't turn down.

"Sorry sir I don't have it"

"Lucas you're one of my best pupils, you know I need that paper for today I'm gonna have to give you a detention."

"I know sir, I'll see you after school"

Lucas had never been so happy about getting a detention in his life, it was his only chance to speak to Maya, he had no doubt that she would continue avoiding him like the plague after what he told her on the weekend, admittedly he could have handled it better – maybe telling her he loved her wasn't the best idea but he was gonna have to tell her at some point. He still believed she had some feelings for him after the kiss and all the blushing – she was acting totally strange! Even though she didn't want to hurt Riley it wasn't fair to stop someone being with the one they loved and anyway Riley would have to get over it some point, she was a sweet girl she'd find someone who loved her he was sure of it.

/

Cory had always been an observant teacher, he noticed the way his students behaved and interacted with each other, possibly because his own daughter was in his class and he enjoyed watching her and her friends learn but today something seemed off.

His daughter who (rather annoyingly) always seemed to become a giddy mess around the Friar boy did not talk to or even look at him once during that entire lesson and Lucas did not look at his daughter either – it appeared they were not on speaking terms. Likewise his daughter's sharp tongued blonde best friend was not talking to anyone – she didn't even put up a fight when he told her she had detention after school. And whilst Lucas stared at the back of Maya's head somewhat longingly (what was that about?) their usual banter was also missing.

Whatever was going on between their gang he was determined to figure it out.

/

Maya had thankfully managed to make it through the day without talking to Lucas but she had to admit that it was kind of lonely, she missed their usual antics – the crazy nicknames and her making fun of his Texan heritage. All she knew was that she loved Lucas but she loved Riley more and if she didn't want to crush her friend's already broken heart then she had to forget about her feelings for him (and his feelings for her) and wait for him to move on too and they only way she could do that was if she avoided him completely.

Unfortunately as a result of her avoiding her friend she had detention after school. As she slumped down in her usual spot in the history classroom she noticed a familiar figure approaching, the person she couldn't talk too right now or anytime soon if he kept spouting this love nonsense.

"…What are you doing here Sundance?"

"Looks like this cowboy's found himself in a bit of a pickle…"


	10. Sparks

Cory was running late to detention, a completely irresponsible action on his behalf but what could he do? He'd forgotten he had playground that day so he'd just have to hope that Lucas and Maya behaved while he was gone – at least with Lucas there Maya wouldn't just ditch, he was Lucas the good after all and if they weren't on speaking terms as he suspected then mischief wouldn't be a problem either… he hoped.

/

"Lucas why are you here – you don't have detention"

"Actually I do, I didn't hand in my history paper so now it looks like you have company which is great really because I need to talk to you, I know you've been ignoring since the weekend"

"Look Lucas I don't really know what there is to talk about"

"I told you how I felt and I know that isn't what you wanted to hear because you love Riley but how do you feel about me? I realised I loved you when we kissed because I really felt like we connected – you can't just tell me it didn't mean anything to you and you can't just tell me who I'm supposed to love!"

"Lucas Riley is my best friend – I'm not supposed to like you, I'm not allowed to like you But…I do."

And suddenly their lips were touching, she'd filled the space between them just like that. He pulled her closer to him, his fingers in her hair and she wrapped herself around him not wanting to let go. They were losing themselves in the moment when a voice shattered it all…

"FRIAR? HART?!"

Maya turned around frantically

"Mr Matthews…."

"Is this why Riley's…not Riley?"

"Yes sir… but you can't blame Maya, it was my fault and I never intended on hurting Riley"

"I think you should leave Maya, Mr Friar will be sitting this detention alone"

"Mr Matthews I don't think you can-"

"Go home Maya"

"Ok…"

/

Great. If that wasn't awkward then Maya didn't know what was. To have a teacher walk in on you kissing some guy is awkward enough but when that teacher is also your best friend's father it is a whole lot worse. And when that boy also happens to be your best friend's ex-boyfriend well, things don't exactly look great on your behalf.

Cory was a very overprotective father, in fact is was a surprise he'd let Maya stick around for all those years considering the fact that she was so clearly a negative influence on his child. He'd been extremely lenient knowing about Maya's home background and all but she'd really blown it this time. To get into trouble, be cheeky and disruptive were one thing but to actually hurt his child well… she wouldn't be surprised if this was the end of their friendship. And all over some dumb boy.

Except she couldn't let it be… she needed Riley, she was the best part of her. The only thing Riley could possibly hate more than the fact that Maya had feelings for the boy she used to call her boyfriend and had kissed him (what was she thinking?!) was if she lied to her about it. It was time to come clean…

/

Riley wiped the tears from her eyes… tears of laughter that is.

She definitely did not regret opening up to the Minkus boy about her breakup with Lucas and was determined to move on past it.

They were currently sitting in Sherry's Diner, a small café close to Farkle's home where Riley was halfway through a strawberry shake and Farkle an Oreo one. Farkle had been making her laugh with a story about Johnny from chess club who had a crush on Darby. When Yogi had found out he'd gone mad and from what Farkle had described it was hilarious.

Yeah she missed Maya but it didn't look like Maya was going to talk to her anytime soon and she was actually quite enjoying bonding with her geeky friend. Dare she say even questioning feelings for him? It was too early to tell for sure, she didn't want to dive into this one headfirst like she had with Lucas but she definitely felt sparks between them…


	11. Answers

**Sorry for the late update – I usually upload a new chapter every Friday but I was just so tired this week! Hope you enjoy anyway!**

"So Friar, you've got some explaining to do"

"Listen sir, I know you're mad about your daughter but I promise you my feeling are genuine – I love Maya"

"And Riley? Did you just toss her aside when you were done with her?!"

"No… it wasn't like that!"

"So what was it like Friar? 'Cause the way I see it you take one daughter, my sweet innocent little girl – you tell her you love her, that you care about her and then you rip her heart to shreds and toss her aside when you're finished!"

"No sir I –"

"And then, after all you've put her through you move on to my other daughter – her best friend!"

"No sir."

"So what exactly did happen?" he asked more reasonably this time, trying to get over his initial rage (though he was still pretty furious)

"I loved Riley… at least I thought I did. She was always the sweet one, the kind one – she made me feel happy plus I kinda knew that she liked me … so I decided that I must like her too."

"And did you?

"I did – I still do… just not in the way she wanted me to I guess. I love Riley but I love her like a – like a sister…"

"And did you tell her that?"

"I tried to but it came out all wrong – I didn't want to hurt her… you see I already knew I loved Maya at that point and I just kind of… blurted it out."

"You can't just tell me you woke up one day, decided you loved Maya and broke my daughter's heart"

"No –you're right sir I didn't just suddenly decide 'actually I love Maya' but I think I loved Maya for a long time without realising it"

"You mean without wanting to realise it…"

"So maybe I was in denial, It was kind of a build-up of little things– until Friday when it just hit me like a truck"

"What happened?"

"…I kissed Maya"

"You did what?! You mean even though you and Riley were still dating you kissed her best friend"

He nodded "I mean technically she kissed me, it wasn't what you think it was but yeah… I definitely kissed her back"

"Oh you wait until Topanga hears about this…"

/

Ok so the whole denial thing hadn't really been working for Maya so far, and neither had the avoidance plan which turned out to be a total flop.

Lucas loved her.

She loved him.

Wasn't that supposed to be a good thing?

Well… apparently not. Telling Lucas how she felt about him meant there was no going back, she could no longer play Friday off as a meaningless kiss, nor could she deny the fact that no matter how much she tried to fight it she loved him. She practically ate his face in detention… friends didn't do that.

To make matters worse Mr Matthews had seen the whole thing, she couldn't hide it from Riley or Lucas or Cory (probably Topanga now too) and once they knew then she was sure as hell Zay and Farkle would know as well, and when they knew… the whole school knew.

She had to accept her fate as 'the boyfriend stealing whore' because she was certain when she went back to school that was what they'd all be calling her.

Why was it that even now, after turning over a new leaf she still found herself in trouble?

Maya looked at her phone – yes of course it was the cool smartphone Cory had got her, a reminder of the fact that the Matthews family trusted her and she had betrayed them. Her wallpaper was a picture of her and Riley from their weekend camping trip with Shawn Hunter – talking to Riley really wasn't going to be easy she needed some advice first but who could she talk to? Shawn Hunter. That was it. If there was anyone she could go to for advice it was Shawn…

She looked through her contact list

After a couple of rings he answered

"Hello this is Shawn Hunter"

"Hi Shawn…"

"Maya?"

"I really need to talk to you…"

"I'm on my way"

"What?!"

"If you need me Maya I'm there..."


	12. Look out

**Ok so I've been quite busy with school lately (GCSE stuff) so I'm updating late again (didn't update last week) and it's likely this will probably not be the last time, I will update on Friday's when I can but if it isn't updated on Friday then just remember it will be soon. Thanks xx**

Maya sat nervously on the edge of the couch, the TV was on but she couldn't concentrate on whatever the hell was happening – she was lost in her own thoughts.

Katy had arrived back from yet another unsuccessful acting audition about an hour ago and had brought with her a bottle of wine and a fake smile. She was currently cooking dinner (a rarity for her really as she would usually just pick up a frozen pizza from the minimart down the road) and was not aware of Shawn's impending visit.

It wasn't that Maya wasn't glad Shawn was coming, for the most part she was – he served as a sort of father figure to her and seemed like the best person to go to for advice but this wasn't going to be like his usual fun filled visits. The only reason he was coming was because of the mess she'd managed to get herself into and she was dreading having to explain to him how she'd kissed her best friend's boyfriend and destroyed her first relationship (even if it wasn't supposed to mean anything).

The truth was she'd never truly loved Josh, he served as a sort of distraction from the fact that she was in love with Lucas from the very beginning. She'd been young and naïve enough to believe that if she simply distracted herself from the fact that she was head over heels for some Texas cowboy she would stop loving him.

She was wrong

Oh so wrong.

Maya looked at her phone. The same wretched phone Cory had bought her before she betrayed his daughter. The same phone with the screensaver of her and Riley that hurt her heart every time she looked at it, and the same phone she had used to call Shawn who should be here any minute if the time on her phone was anything to go by.

(There was a knock on the door)

….Oh crap.

"Who is it?" called Katy from the kitchen

"Maya did you invite someone over?"

"…yeah kind of"

"Well are you gonna get the door?"

"…mmhmm"

She walked reluctantly to the door.

Ok Maya, deep breath – it's gonna be ok – it's only Shawn…

Oh god it's Shawn what's he gonna think of me? How am I supposed to explain this mess to him?

"Maya…?" he called knocking again

She opened the door.

"…Shawn."

/

Cory marched through his front door furiously

"TOPANGA!"

She put down the case file she had been studying intently and walked over to him, hands on hips. How dare he take that tone with her?

"Cory, would you like to explain to me why you've marched into our home screeching my name with a face like a slapped ass?"

"Friar."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Friar boy. He was bad news. I told you he was bad news – didn't I tell you he was bad news?!"

"You did… what's your point?"

Although she was pretty certain she knew already.

"Him and Riley. They broke up – he loves Maya"

Hold on a minute… She knew they'd broken up, but because of Maya? Well, that was news to her.

"He loves Maya?"

"Oh you should have seen them in detention!"

"What happened in detention?"

"Well it involved a boy, a girl, their lips, and a lot of age inappropriate behaviour"

"Lucas and Maya kissed?"

"Well when you put it like that it sounds like nothing"

"I know Lucas and Maya, Cory maybe it was nothing. Listen I'm sure Riley's upset and I'm gonna do everything I can to make her feel better but if Lucas and Maya are happy together than maybe it's for the best. And from what I've seen recently Riley and Farkle seem to be getting on _very well_ "

"What?"

"I'm just saying, they're getting on _very well,_ if you ask me it's not Lucas you should be looking out for…"


	13. I love lasagne

**Sorry this chapter is kind of short, I usually have multiple things going on at once but this one is just Maya and Shawn. Hope you enjoy anyway – I know I did xx**

"So Maya… you said you needed to talk to me about something?"

Maya nodded, Shawn was currently standing by the doorframe as if waiting for an invitation to enter whilst she just stood in the hallway cluelessly, racking her mind for the right words to say.

"I guess you'd better come in…"

"Well I didn't come all the way from Philadelphia to just stand here" he smiled awkwardly as she led him towards the living room

"Maya who is it… is that Shawn?" Katy asked walking in from the kitchen, her hair in a messy pony tail and her apron covered in pasta sauce

"Hi Katy"

"…Hi Shawn, I didn't realise we had company – are you staying for dinner?"

"Oh that isn't necessary, I'm just here to talk to Maya"

"About what?"

"…Well I don't know yet"

Katy glanced at Maya, confused "Maya if there's ever anything you need to talk about I'm right here baby girl"

"I know mom, I just… wanted to talk to Shawn about this one"

"… I see"

Shawn sat down on the soft slouchy sofa, it was a little tattered and worse for wear but it was still comfortable.

"So Maya… what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Maya inhaled deeply … she knew she was going to have to tell Shawn eventually and now the moment had finally arrived…

She started slowly

"So you see, there was this guy and I really liked him… he was a good guy. But you see there was this other girl and she really liked him too, and I knew that she was good for him…. She was a nice girl she deserved him – they were a perfect match. So I decided they should be together and I guess I kinda stepped back, I thought that maybe if I ignored the way I felt about him it would go away but… it didn't.

The more I got to know him the stronger it got and I just couldn't escape it so… I tried to distract myself with this other boy, he was also a good guy but he was out of my league and he wouldn't notice me – I needed him to notice me as if him noticing me would make me like him and then we could be happy… that sounds really stupid now that I say it out loud but it seemed like a good plan at the time… and then I came up with an EVEN stupider plan. I got the first guy to kiss me so I could make the other guy jealous. I mean really what was I thinking? Anyway the first guy kissed me and… I liked it. The problem is that he liked it too so he broke up with his girlfriend, even thought she was the sweetest loveliest girl and didn't deserve to get hurt. So now I'm not sure whether or not I should go out with him because we both lo- er like each other a lot… but I don't want to hurt the other girl"

He paused to look at her contemplating what she had just said

"You like Lucas"

"What?! No – I never said it was Lucas in fact I didn't use any names!"

"Oh come on Maya, you think I didn't notice?"

"Well I was hoping… how long have you known?"

"I've always known Maya, I see it every time you look at each other… he loves you"

She didn't say anything.

"Maya in my experience when love comes around you shouldn't hide from it, you should treasure it because it doesn't come around very often but it's one of the most precious things you can have"

"But… you and Angela, my mom and dad… I just don't want to get hurt, and I don't want to hurt Riley"

"I know Maya… but Cory and Topanga."

She smiled "I need to tell Riley don't I?"

He nodded

"Thanks Shawn" she said wrapping her arms around him

"Anytime kiddo"

She grabbed her coat and headed for the door

"Maya where are you going I'm making dinn-" Katy started but got cut off by the sound of the apartment door swinging shut

"Shawn do you like lasagne?"

"I **love** lasagne…"


	14. Losing a friend means losing yourself

**Hi everyone I've finally updated! Sorry I haven't done that in a while. I know how annoying it can be waiting for a writer to update but I've been stressed and busy because of school (and if truth be told I'm way too good at procrastinating) I hope y'all enjoy this chapter anyway I wasn't really sure where I was going with it and I've had a few attempts at writing this (I accidently deleted the original one) and it was kinda difficult deciding how Riley should react but in the end I decided to go with drama (don't hate me..) anyway enjoy and I'll stop burbling because I'm writing too much and this was only supposed to be a short apology for my absence. - Phoebe**

Maya stood by the speaker box nervously, she going to have to press it eventually but she knew that when she did her life would never be the same again…

Telling Riley that she liked Lucas had the potential to jeopardise their friendship.

Not to mention the fact that it would alter her relationship with Lucas, she was fairly certain he knew how she felt about him but if Riley knew too she could NEVER play him off as a 'strictly platonic' friend ever again.

Her finger was on the buzzer.

Come on Maya what are you waiting for?

She pressed it.

Please don't be home, please don't be home, please don't be home…

Maybe they're out? Maybe they're busy? Maybe they're –

"Hello?"

"…Hi Riley"

"Maya?"

"Yeah…"

"Come on up!"

Well that was easy enough.

Shame it was about to get a whole lot harder….

Maya walked up to the apartment and Topanga opened the door. Considering how nervous she felt it was hard to believe that this was her almost home.

"Hi Maya, how are you? I haven't seen you in a few days"

"Oh I'm fine thanks" she lied "where's Riley?"

Cory just stared at her.

Of course he stared at her.

"Riley's in her room sweetie"

"I'm assuming you have something to say to Riley, right Maya?"

Maya ignored his somewhat bitter comment and headed to Riley's room.

Riley was sat in the bay window expectantly. She knew they needed to talk.

"Hi Riley"

Riley nodded at her in acknowledgement

"I need to talk to you about something"

"Oh you mean know you want to talk to me? After completely ignoring me for the weekend you're ready to talk to me now?"

"I'm sorry Riles"

"Sorry enough to tell me why even though I just had my heart broken by the only guy I ever loved my best friend wasn't there for me?"

"Yeah Riley… that's exactly why I'm here" she stuttered shocked by her best friend's sudden change in attitude

"Well go on then… I don't have all day – I'm going out with Farkle later"

"Riley you told me that Lucas broke up with you… but you never told me why"

"Do you know why?"

She nodded. "I do Riley, and I felt terrible about it… I went over to his house fully prepared to kick his ass and then he told me that… he loved me"

"And do you…"

"Do I love him?

"Yes. Do you love him Maya?

"Riley I couldn't bear to talk to you, I tried denying it to him, I tried denying it to myself but… I do. And I can't help how I feel… I love him."

"So he loves you… and you love him"

"But Riley he was you boyfriend… and I know you care about him – I'd never go out with him without your blessing"

"Good"

"But Riley do I –"

"Have my blessing? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Riley?"

"Yeah I just said a swear word – shocker! Maybe your goody goody best friend got sick of your bullshit!"

"Riley… I don't like you like this"

"…Neither do I Maya. But what's the use in being myself if all it does is gets me hurt, because guess what Maya? I am hurt - and you did that! I tried being nice, I was always polite and I was always smiling – I tried to make everyone around me happy but who was there to make me happy? My perfect boyfriend was a great guy and he was PERFECT for me! But who was he interested in? My TRASHY best friend, or should I say ex – best friend!"

Maya's face fell "you're throwing our friendship away over a guy who wasn't even interested in you? If you think that Lucas is perfect then you're delusional, I meant what I said – I Love Lucas but he's no prince charming, I know that now. And if that's who you think he is then you never loved him at all… because you don't even know who he is. If I hurt you then I'm sorry, but that was never my intention - I did everything I could to protect you, I hid my feelings for Lucas from years because I never thought that he could ever be interested in me. Everything was always about Riley, sweet, lovely, pretty, perfect Riley! But you're no princess – you're a spoiled bitch and I can't believe I ever called you a friend!" She blinked back her tears "I'm done talking with you, I'll show myself out – I hope you and you're perfect family are very happy together!"

And with that she stormed out.

Serves her right Riley thought, she ruined my first relationship – she deserved to get hurt. But for some reason she just couldn't smile, there was a heavy ache in the pit of her stomach. She just needed someone to tell her everything was going to be ok, she just needed Maya to tell her everything was going to be ok… sadly right now that didn't seem to be an option


	15. Cold like Ice Cream

**Hi guys! Long-time no update! I'm sorry about that, I really do need to find more time to work on this because I enjoy writing it and I know it's not fair on you guys to have to wait ages for me to update this story in fact now that I think about it this is my first time updating** **this year** **and it's June! Where does the time go? Anyway thanks for reading – reviews are always welcome; it's the reviews from people that enjoy my story who keep me writing! Without further ado enjoy:**

Maya walked down the sidewalk alone with her thoughts, the sun was beginning to set and she could feel a bit of a chill in the air but it was nothing compared to the coldness she felt about Riley.

She'd screwed up with style and this time she'd brought Riley down with her, she didn't even know who Riley was anymore – not after her angry outburst in the Matthews' apartment. All she knew was that it was her fault for making her like that, the real Riley never cursed and she never got angry unless she was really hurt. She must have been hurt bad, and given the current situation Maya couldn't blame her.

Having said that, Lucas wasn't Riley's property and if Maya backed down now it would mean giving up any chance of happiness she had with him as well as practically admitting that Riley was right. Maya would never allow herself to be called a 'trashy' best friend even if deep down she wondered if maybe she was, giving up Lucas wouldn't repair their friendship -Riley would still know she had feelings for him and if he was telling her the truth then he also had feelings for her. If that was the case Riley and Lucas's relationship can't have been all that 'perfect' after all.

And now that everything had fallen to pieces (or perhaps into place if those were Riley's true colours) there was only one person she could talk to about this.

Lucas.

/

She knocked on his door and waited.

Oh shit how was she going to explain all this, if she hadn't gone on that dumb 'fake date' to make Josh jealous would she be here right now?

No.

But fate worked in mysterious ways and one day she may realise it was just as well she had.

"…Maya?"

"Hey Huckleberry"

"Come to kick my ass again?"

She laughed because much as she may tease him she knew she could never.

"No actually I wanted to talk to you… you said something to me last time before I left"

"Oh… yeah I remember saying something"

"Well are you gonna invite me in to talk about it or will I have to tell your momma about your poor manners?... I mean leaving a guest on the doorstep really is–"

"Come on in Maya"

/

She perched on the edge of the brown leather couch in his living room

"Can I get you a drink Maya?"

Her throat felt like it was closing up. She nodded.

"So have you seen Riley at all? She was pretty upset the last time I spoke to her…"

"Yeah, actually I was just at the Matthews' apartment now but I don't think she was too glad to see me "

"Oh Maya I'm sorry –"

"No it's ok Lucas it was my fault, I did something no best friend should ever do"

He paused at her using his real name "… and what's that?"

"…I fell in love with her boyfriend"

"…Maya-"

"Listen I'm sorry Lucas I shut you down last time before you got to finish talking I just panicked, I didn't know what to say – no boys ever said… well _you know_ to me before and I mean I'd had it so built up in my head how you loved Riley and you'd never feel the same way about me that –"

"Maya"

He took her face in his hands

"Uh huh..?"

And then he kissed her.

She threaded her fingers through his hair

"Looks like you're third time lucky cowboy, I like you, you like me – what does that make us now?"

"Well if you're not too embarrassed to be seen with New York City's finest hillbilly I was hoping it made us… boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Great, well as your girlfriend I demand you take me for ice cream"

"Maya I said boyfriend not servant – "

But she'd already grabbed his hand


End file.
